• The European CAP Network has awarded a special mention to the La Junquera farm within the 2024 "Agrarian and Rural Inspiration Awards" (ARIA) in the "Environmental Protection" category.
• La Junquera, a regenerative agriculture farm in Murcia, was chosen to compete in the "Environmental Protection" category for being a CAP-funded project that implements environmentally friendly practices.

The sixth edition of the Agrarian and Rural Inspiration Awards ( ARIA ) 2024, held in Brussels on December 4, was dedicated specifically to young farmers and rural women. This year, experts selected 24 projects in four thematic categories aligned with the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). For the first time, the Gender Equality Award was introduced, recognizing a project that promotes gender equality in rural areas. As in previous editions, the public also had the opportunity to vote for their favorite project through a popular vote that attracted more than 14,000 votes, the highest number in the competition's history.

Due to the youth of its participants and the thematic nature of its operation, the jury of the CAP European Network selected La Junquera , a regenerative agriculture farm in Murcia, as a semi-finalist to compete in the "Environmental Protection" category, as a CAP-funded project that contributes to sustainable production.

Ultimately, La Junquera didn't take home the coveted award, but she did receive a special mention in her category, a first for this year's competition. Thus, after the winners of this category received the trophy—which went to a Finnish agricultural plastics recycling project—La Junquera was called to the stage to collect a diploma certifying the mention and to be photographed in the moment. This distinction distinguished them, along with the winners, above the four remaining semifinalists.

Winners of the “Environmental Protection” category

During the ARIA Awards ceremony , which was also broadcast live, the hosts revealed the six winners of the 2024 ARIA Awards: five thematic winners (one from each category, including the Gender Equality Award), chosen by the jury, and the winner of the popular vote .

La Junquera competed in the "Environmental Protection" category, alongside the other five semi-finalists , as these projects are CAP-funded and strengthen environmental protection, including biodiversity, and address climate change through sustainability practices that contribute to a green recovery.

The special mention to La Junquera is given for its regenerative agricultural practices (regenerative agriculture), as well as for offering educational and business opportunities to rural youth in its area through the " Regeneration Academy ," in which participants learn about agroecology, soil conservation, and organic farming practices. This is, therefore, a project with dual value: agroecological and the revitalization of rural communities.

Finally, the award in this category went to the university research project “ Recycling of Agricultural Plastics ,” a Finnish Operational Group (Jamk) that develops solutions for storing, managing, and reusing agricultural plastic waste, with a focus on improving on-farm recycling and agricultural logistics in general.